


Some legends are told (some turn to dust or to gold)

by Onecrazyfangirl



Category: Campaign (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Immortality, Sibling Love, bc yknow immortality, implied death of side characters, its mostly bittersweet i think, jonnit time everyone!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29924622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onecrazyfangirl/pseuds/Onecrazyfangirl
Summary: Jonnit Week Day 1 - akaron / magic / angstYears down the line captain Jonnit Kessler finds out he cant die.
Relationships: Gable & Jonnit Kessler & Travis Matagot, Jonnit Kessler & Margaret, backround Travis/Gable/margaret, jonnit kessler & zana kessler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Jonnit Week 2021





	Some legends are told (some turn to dust or to gold)

**Author's Note:**

> JONNIT WEEK IS HERE! :D Thank you as always to my hero and editor rowan <333333 and to everyone on the mod team for jonnit week and to everyone on the uwuru who has rambled about jonnit w me!! couldnt have done it without yall!
> 
> ((yes they retconned Zana being the younger sibling but i simply decided to reretcon it for this fic <3)) 
> 
> also yes Jonnit and Zana are he/they she/they solidarity in this, they deserve it.

Jonnit meets Zana this time the way he usually does, in a port, in a bar. His sibling looks as radiant as ever, her hair done up in braids, their clothing screaming “I’m cooler than you” and a relaxed smile that hides undeniable mischief. There’s something different about her this time though. Admittedly it has been a while since he’s seen her, but she looks so mature now, in the way she carries herself, in the way she looks.

“Captain Kessler,” she says, in her own almost sarcastic way that she uses to indicate they don’t actually respect his title even a little. 

He grins at her. “Zana,” they say, tipping his hat and sitting down next to them. “Still the best starwatcher on the fleet?”

“Of course,” she says, “And most importantly, still a better starwatcher than you.”

He rolls his eyes. “You wish,” he says, but he knows somewhere that she’s probably right. “How’s Sefa doing?” he adds, trying not to delve too deep into their well worn rivalry.

“Typical for you to ask after her before me,” she says, with a smirk, “She’s doing well, last time I saw her.”

They nod. “That’s good, we have a meeting scheduled with her next port over.”

She hums in answer, looking around the bar. “Where are your friends?” she asks. “The ones that follow you around looking like vaguely lost puppies.”

He can’t help but bark out a laugh at the notion. “Really?” he says.

“What?” his sister says, with a pointed sip of their drink. “I’m not wrong.”

He shakes his head. “I suppose you aren’t,” they say, amused. “Their partner is in town, you remember Margaret, right?”

She nods. 

“So they’ll be busy our whole stay here,” he says, then grins. “If you know what I mean.”

It’s her turn to roll her eyes and they shove him playfully. “Haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

There’s a moment of tension in the air between them as the two of them look at each other. There’s an undercurrent of something in their mundane conversation, and Jonnit knows they both know it, but the bar, rough and crowded as it is, is not the place for it.

“Should we go outside?” Zana suggests, and Jonnit nods quickly. 

-

They walk along the pier, staring out at the vast expanse of the ocean.

“You’ve… grown,” he says, breaking the fragile silence. It sounds silly now he’s said it, of course she’s grown, she’s not a child anymore.

She gives him a very solemn look as she turns to him and says “You haven’t, have you?” 

She says it like it’s obvious, like he’s supposed to have noticed by now, but it’s only then Jonnit realises with a start what has felt slightly wrong about this evening.

Zana doesn’t look just older, they look older than _him._

“I- you think so?” he says awkwardly.

“Jonnit,” they say gently, “You’re pushing thirty by now, and yet you could still easily pass for _nineteen.”_

He’s only truly been captain for a few years, and appearance doesn’t much matter if you knew how to wield a weapon and lead with passion, both of which things Jonnit had in their favor, even aside from the whole third eye magic thing. He just never really thought about it. But now...

They continue to walk in silence and Jonnit thinks and thinks, thoughts swirling like the crashing waves before them.

“You don’t think that I…” he trails off. 

She shrugs. “I don’t know,” she says, linking their arm with his. 

After a few beats of silence she speaks up again. “We should go back home soon, see Dad for a while.”

He smiles, even if he knows the implications behind the suggestion. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

-

He walks back along the pier, the knowledge hanging heavy around him. He’s learned a thing or two over the years. They climb a small hill, away from the noise of the town and the skyships. He sits there, cross legged on the grass, breathing evenly and letting himself get lost in the sound of the wind. He undoes his bandana and closes his eyes, lets the third eye on his forehead be his only guidance.

Slowly they see the guiding lines of the universe, feel the power coursing through him, hums softly to keep himself from getting lost in the magnitude of the magic around him. He doesn’t need to ask, what they need to know is shown to him. There’s his own line, the life he will lead, the future he’s living out in every moment. The line goes on and on and on- 

So long he has to gasp for breath like he’s pulling himself out of the waves. 

There is no vision, not really merely the feeling, how can there be meaning faced with that magnitude? They see the line of his father, his sister, his crew, they are all bound for the cutting stone, the river eventually. 

For a second, faced with the infinity that is himself, Jonnit Kessler feels small, like they aren’t capable of all that he will be, that he is. Like they are just a child again. 

He realises he’s crying, with all of his eyes- golden tears fall from his third eye, too. His eye snaps shut, he opens his eyes again, staring yet again at the ocean, at the morning star above, at the things that will never change.

He’s a fixed point too now, sort of.

-

Travis and Gable will be all he’s got one day. That’s all he can think about as he knocks on the door of the room they’ve rented, their hands shaky still, not quite yet sure how to deal with everything around him.

“Come in,” Travis says, and he sounds so carefree for once.

To Jonnit’s surprise, Margaret isn’t there, just Travis sprawled over Gable’s lap. They’re looking down at him in fond exasperation. That hasn’t changed.

They both look up at him, worry clear on Gable’s facel which must mean he looks as shaken as he feels.

“Hi guys,” they say tiredly, pushing the door closed behind him and collapsing on the bed opposite to them.

“Is everything alright?” Gable asks tentatively.

He stammers, thinking about how to start. “My sister is in town,” he begins. 

Travis noticeably perks up. They get along well together, Zana and Travis, menaces the both of them. “How _is_ Zana?” he asks, casually, like he isn’t avoiding the conversation.

“She’s good,” they say, and then chokes on his next words, “Older.”

He sits there, the silence heavy between them as he tries to bite back tears.

“Jonnit?” Gable says, they look like they want to stand up, like they don’t really know what to do with themself.

“I think- I don’t think I can die?” he says,and his friends freeze, their eyes widening, but he has to keep going, “Because, I don’t know if I’ve been aging recently? And I looked and I think I saw-”

Travis stands up, an easy smile on his face. “I’m sure it could be any number of things,” he says, gesturing, “Some people are late bloomers, aren’t they, Gable?”

Gable looks away. Jonnit catches the guilt written all over their face.

He sits up, “You knew,” he says, and it’s not a question.

Travis’ charade falls immediately, he sits next to Gable again. “Well, you know, suspecting, knowing,” he says. “We couldn’t be sure-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jonnit says, and they can feel anger flare up in his chest. 

“We didn’t mean to alarm you,” Gable says softly.

Gable remembers years ago; Travis as a bunny in his lap, as Gable looks curiously at the unchanging Jonnit. The instinct inside them, the way they just… felt it. The way Travis had said “He’s just a late bloomer, Gable,” or “What do you know about human biology anyway?” and Gable had known he was feeding them lies but they’d taken them easily enough anyway.

Easier to ignore it than to face than the idea that someone else is saddled yet again with the curse they both bear, easier than having to actually tell them, face him and tell them the truth: everyone who you love will die, time will cease to have meaning, everything will change and yet after everything, it will still be you.

Gable always told themself there would be a good moment to tell him, but the moment just happened to never come along. Travis tried to think about it as little as possible, it was better for Jonnit to live in ignorant bliss for as long as they could, anyway. Travis’ happiest years were when he believed he would die one day.

But here he is now, even as he has grown, even with his power that is much grander than either of theirs, it feels like now, for the first time, they are on equal footing.

Jonnit stands up, their hands twitch and they should thank the luminaries he’s good at controlling his anger. “You should’ve told me,” he says, just a little ragged, “I’m not a child anymore!”

“Oh, Jonnit, of course you aren’t-” Gable starts out.

“We were just trying to do what was best for you,” Travis says matter of factly, looking away, smirking disinterestedly. Old habits die hard.

“You don’t get to decide what’s best for me,” he says, as they walk out the door.

-

The cold night air hits harder now, as he leaves behind his friends. He knows he’ll go back to them eventually, after all, they’re all he’s got, in the end.

He doesn’t want to end up like Travis, as much affection as they have for the man, playing games to pass the time, running from his problems, that doesn’t seem ideal. Then there is Gable, who until semi-recently was also always on the run. They were both trying their best. And what is the corsair's life if not being on the run, really? Especially when they were, in fact, being hunted.

Here he is now, staring up at the sky, trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of forever, how to cope with it.

_I can figure it out tomorrow too,_ they think bitterly, _not like it matters._

-

Margaret finds him the next day. She looks as beautiful as ever, and she has a kind smile on her face as she lightly touches his shoulder. He’s leaning on the railing of a lookout post, staring at the horizon.

“Captain Kessler,” she says, with a nod. 

They can’t help but smile at seeing her, her mere presence calming.

“Margaret,” he says, “It’s been a while.”

“Glad I found you,” she says, easily moving to lean next to him with her back against the railing, “Gable and Travis were worried sick.”

He smiles and shakes his head. “They shouldn’t be,” they say and then more serious, “Did you know?”

“If I’m honest,” she says, “No. But I’m not exactly surprised either.”

He nods and takes a deep breath, staring back out onto the ocean.

“If there is some advice I can give you,” she says, “It’s that everything keeps mattering.”

He glances at her. “In what way?”

“This moment right now, the present, the people alive. It all still matters.”

“You mean completely isolating yourself and not getting close to people _doesn’t_ work?” he says, full of fake surprise.

She sighs, “You say that as if it’s a given, but you’ve seen how easy it is to fall into it.”

“I’ll always find a purpose or something, Margaret, I’ll be alright.”

She smiles, just a little sadly. “I know you will,” she says and then, “Besides, you have Gable and Travis too.”

They raise an amused eyebrow. “That's a perk now?”

She rolls her eyes amusedly, “I can see how my husband's eternal friendship wouldn’t always be a blessing.”

“Oh, trust me,” he says, as the person who has travelled with Travis Matagot for decades now and is now his captain, “I’m aware.” 

“People are here for you and some things stay the same.”

_Like the morning star,_ Jonnit thinks, _the one that always guides you home._

-

He meets up with his sister the next day. She’s as energetic as ever, and for an afternoon he lets himself enjoy it. They walk easily around the streets basking only a little in the recognition of the public and causing a little chaos.

It only takes an hour or so for him to shake the preemptive feeling of missing them in favor of getting dragged along with her to some shop or another. She isn’t gone yet and he’s damn well going to get the most out of it.

-

They go back to Akaron. His father is older, but welcoming as always, glowing pride in his two children. He’s worried about who will take over the farm, and Jonnit can’t help but feel guilty, feel afraid. 

Zana keeps telling him to slow down. “You aren’t dead yet, Pa,” she says with a smile. Later, though, they do make worried eye contact with Jonnit. 

This will be the normal part, Jonnit knows, most people lose their parents, but they can’t help but feel like it’s the beginning. 

-

Many decades later Captain Jonnit Kessler descends from the sky to Akaron once more. It’s changed. Some towns grow, but this one seems to get smaller. The forest that was once at the most distant borders creeping in closer, blurring the edges of the town.

Gable walks at his side. They look as they always have, maybe except the new, coal black coat, and the locket hanging on a ribbon around their neck, the engraved lily an ever present reminder. A snow white bird is perched upon their shoulder, and as always, they’re loudly bickering. He hasn’t taken his whole crew with him, but Travis and Gable are different. The three of them that understand.

He knocks on the familiar door of the farm, and a young girl opens the door. She has stars in her eyes and long box braids with beads in them and she smiles up at Jonnit. “Hello?” she says.

It takes their breath away for a second how much she looks like Zana. 

“Hello,” he says, “Are your parents home?”

She nods, disappearing into the house briefly then returning with her mother. A woman who Jonnit remembers meeting as a teenager, when her father had bought this farm. Here she is, a child at her leg and clearly pregnant with the second. They smile at her.

“Jonnit.” she says happily, “I was wondering when you would come around.”

“It’s good to see you again, Amanda,” he says sincerely, then gestures at the others next to him. “My friends, Gable and Travis.” 

Gable waves awkwardly, Travis preens.

Amanda nods at them, and gestures at the kid half hidden behind her skirt. “This is Cai.”

The kid giggles at them.

She gestures at them to come in, talking excitedly about renovations done to the farm, as Jonnit looks around. He’s always surprised by what stays the same, in their house that only barely resembles the one he grew up. It’s covered in all the marks of different families, yet still the ghosts of him, his sister and dad live on. 

There’s still the dent left from that small accident when he was eight, and still the window that looks out onto the lawn and still the one odd creaking floorboard that somehow no one has ever bothered to fix.

As they walk into the living room, there’s a loud crash from outside. Amanda smiles awkwardly. “That’ll be my spouse. I can't really help with all the farm work right now, you know,” she says, gesturing at her belly.

Gable perks up immediately. “What needs to be done?” they ask, and Travis pecks at them. They pretend to not notice.

Amanda eyes them up and down, clearly taking in exactly how capable Gable would be at the task. “Just some lifting, I reckon you can help,” she says and smiles at Gable as they grin with excitement. “In the meantime, make yourself comfortable, Jonnit.”

They walk outside, leaving Jonnit in the little living room. He doesn’t know why he still comes back, they know it’s always hard to feel like a stranger in a place that was once yours. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t got much to do these days, their destiny behind him, now all of eternity to follow.

Maybe it’s because of moments like this, when Cai climbs next to them on the couch, bright eyed with wonder only a child can have.

“Mom and Ren say you are a captain,” she says conspiratorially. “On a skyship.”

Jonnit smiles. “Yes, they’ve got that bit right.”

“They also say you grew up here, you’re like, a legend around town.”

Jonnit shakes his head smiling, they are a legend everywhere. “I did grow up on this farm,” he says wistfully, “A long time ago.” 

She stares at him, and then resolutely walks off to a shelf to grab a book, and puts it in his lap. It’s an old book of constellations, the pages worn and the cover ragged. “Ren gave me this,” she says, proudly turning the pages. “Because I want to be on a ship someday too! And study all the stars.” 

He feels familiar tears in his eyes as he turns the pages gently. “I knew the best starwatcher in the skies that ever lived, you know.”

It was odd to remember her like that, when they went on to become leader of the Bandit Fleet, when she was there in the final battle that turned the tides of everything forever.

Cai’s eyes go wide. “Really?” she says.

He nods, getting himself comfortable to tell a story, something they do a lot these days. “Her name was Zana Kessler,” he says, “And they grew up on a farm in Akaron, just like this one.”

Cai moves to sit cross legged, paying rapt attention. He smiles as he recounts the tale he has gone over so many times before.

And so his sister lives on through the love Jonnit has for them in their heart, and through the stories he and so many other people tell, through the smile of a child dreaming of the life they have led. They all live on, the places and people he’s lost, because what is the world built on, if not stories and remembrance?

Later, Gable, Travis and Jonnit walk through the darkened streets at night. Travis is glaring at the shrines to Her Majesty and Gable seems undecided on whether or not to pick a fight with fate today.

He rolls his eyes as Travis turns to grin wickedly at them, eyes full of trouble, his hand in Gable’s and the other playing with his matching lily locket. “What do you say, Jonnit? Feel like causing some luminary drama tonight?” he says, like tonight’s the night he’ll actually kill Her.

_Some things don’t change,_ he thinks as they yet again look up at the stars and smile. “Sure,” Jonnit says, grinning too. “Not like we’re in a hurry.”


End file.
